An optimized coffee pod for beverage preparation

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns a container (1) containing coffee ingredient, comprising a chamber delimited by an injection wall (3) able to be punctured or otherwise opened for circulating water under pressure and by a coffee delivery wall (4), the entire chamber being filled with said coffee. At least a portion of said injection wall (3) has the shape of a half torus, or a half toroidal polyhedron, so as to define a ring-shaped chamber portion (2).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a coffee container, in particular a pod for containing coffee in a compacted form, said container for being extracted in a beverage preparation machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most of the coffee preparation systems that function with one-use ingredient containers, comprise a range of ingredient containers having only one fixed predetermined size. The problem with such containers having a fixed size is that the quality of the beverage obtained therefrom is almost never optimal, despite the large efforts in selecting an appropriate ingredient (coffee blend, grind size, roasting type, etc.) depending on the type of beverage that is eventually prepared therefrom (short, medium, long cups, coffee alone or mix with another ingredient).

More particularly, it was found that short cups such as “Ristretto” or “Espresso” (typically 10 ml to 25 ml of beverage delivered to the cup) may use an oversized amount of ingredient from the container, which leads to under-extraction of the coffee that can eventually provide bitter taste, low flavouring, and off-notes. Furthermore, even if the taste profile might be managed for short cups by managing appropriately a specific blend of coffee, the problem remains that too much coffee is used in relation to the volume of coffee that is eventually prepared and delivered to the cup, which is an unreasonable overcost in view of the cup volume objective.

On the contrary, long cups like “Lungo” or “Grande” (i.e. in-cup beverage volume above 130 ml) typically use an undersized amount of coffee (the capsule is too small to contain sufficient ingredient to extract all flavours in a large quantity of water passing through. This leads to over-extracted notes, and a diluted, low-quality, beverage.

In the best case scenario, the container, e.g. the pod, pad or capsule which usually has a small volume for reasons of storage convenience and low environmental impact, contain a limited coffee weight (5 g to 6 g); therefore, they offer good short cups. But the drawback of over-extraction in the preparation of longer cups remains.

In order to meet the above mentioned drawbacks, some systems were invented that accept ingredient containers of different sizes. The width, or more generally the depth (or thickness) of such containers varies, in order to contain the appropriate amount of coffee relatively to the desired amount of beverage to deliver to the cup.

However, such systems require a complex construction of the machine, so that the brewing chamber wherein the ingredient container is inserted, can adapt functionally to the various sizes and shapes of containers, without any impact on the safety, functionality, or quality of the beverage production. More precisely, in such cases, the machine brewing chamber requires a movable element that allows the brewing chamber to increase or decrease its size to adapt its shape walls to that of the container. A movable element in the brewing chamber necessarily adds complexity to the construction of the machine, hence increased costs for its development, its production, and its maintenance. In some cases also, the machine does set its brewing chamber size/shape automatically, and it requires a manual operation by the user, to conform the brewing chamber appropriately to be able to use one or the other type of ingredient container properly. This adds a handling step to the user, which is not user-friendly.

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to obviate the above-mentioned drawbacks of existing beverage preparation systems. In particular, it is an aim of this invention to reduce complexity of the machine brewing chamber, enabling different coffee quantities to be extracted from dedicated ingredient containers having adapted sizes and shapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally consists in an ingredient container, preferably a coffee pod, having a fixed depth and an adjustable empty space in its center, so that the general container has a “donut shape”. The size of the central space is adjusted depending on desired coffee quantity.

More precisely, the invention is directed to a container containing coffee ingredient for use in a food or beverage preparation machine, comprising a chamber delimited by an injection wall able to be punctured or otherwise opened for circulating water under pressure, and by a coffee delivery wall, the chamber being filled with said coffee. According to the principle of the invention, at least a portion of said injection wall has the shape of a half torus, or a half toroidal polyhedron, so as to define a ring-shaped chamber portion.

By “half a torus or half a toroidal polyhedron”, it is meant a tubular structure being bent and joined to form a closed tube. The tube can have various sections, but is preferably half circular, triangular, or square. But other types of cross-sections can be found. The general outer shape of the ring is preferably circular (as will be further illustrated in detail afterwards in relation to the drawing). But it can also correspond to other types of revolution shapes such as elliptic, square, triangular, or have any other type of general shape such as defined in the term “toroidal polyhedron”.

The coffee ingredient contained in the ring-shaped chamber portion is preferably a roast and ground coffee.

Advantageously, the ring-shaped chamber portion surrounds a central container portion filled with a second ingredient that differs from the coffee ingredient contained in the ring-shaped chamber portion. In that case, the second ingredient is preferably a powdered soluble coffee, or a roast and ground coffee having different roasting, grinding and/or powder compaction characteristics, than that of the coffee contained in the ring-shaped chamber portion.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the width of the ring-shaped chamber is comprised between 5 to 15 mm.

For one range of containers that are designed to work with a given type of food or beverage preparation machine, different types of containers can be proposed to the consumer, each of which in the range has a different ingredient chamber width.

All containers within the same range adapted to function with one type of machine, have a fixed height.

This is particularly important to ensure that in case several container chamber sizes are proposed in a range of containers, such variations between the different containers do not require an adaptation of the machine brewing chamber closing position into which the containers are inserted functionally.

More precisely, the variations in the volume of the container chamber are obtained by varying its radial dimensions but not its height, nor its outer boundaries (in particular the shape or diameter of the outer edge of the ring).

In a preferred embodiment, the dispensing wall is planar and has a square or disc shape.

The dispensing wall is preferably made of a liquid impermeable material that is pierceable by piercing means of the food or beverage preparation machine.

Advantageously, the injection wall is made of a paper-based or compostable material that is coated or laminated with a liquid-impermeable material.

In addition, the central empty area of the container is resistant to tearing, damaging or piercing by the water injection means of the machine's brewing chamber.

In an optional but advantageous embodiment of the invention, the coffee contained in the chamber is a compacted coffee powder.

Generally, the injection and dispensing walls are preferably sealed or otherwise glued or welded one to another to form a closed chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the description of the presently preferred embodiments which are set out below with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of one embodiment of a container according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective cut view of the container of FIG. 1, in the brewing chamber of a food or beverage machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts a container 1 according to the invention, for containing coffee ingredient. The container 1 is designed for insertion and use in the brewing chamber of a coffee preparation machine of the type using single-use disposable pods.

The container 1 comprises a chamber 2 delimited by an injection wall 3 able to be punctured or otherwise opened for circulating water under pressure, and by a coffee delivery wall 4. The coffee delivery wall 4 is pierced (or generally opened) under the effect of the rise of fluid pressure inside the container, onto at least one, preferably a series of opening elements of the machine which exert an opening (e.g. a puncturing or tearing force on the material) when the pressure inside the container increases, due to the injection of water therein through the injection wall).

The container chamber 2 is filled with coffee which is preferably a blend of roast and ground coffee. The chamber is preferably entirely filled (no headspace is present). According to the principle of the invention, the injection wall has the shape of a half torus, so as to define a ring-shaped chamber portion, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The ring-shaped chamber 2 surrounds a central container portion 5 that is empty in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, but could be filled in an alternative with a second ingredient that differs from the coffee ingredient contained in the ring-shaped chamber portion. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the central portion is formed by directly attaching (e.g. sealing or gluing) the injection wall 3 to the dispensing wall 4, like in the outer portions 6 of the container that surround the chamber 2. The width “W” of the ring-shaped chamber is 12 mm. The height “H” of the chamber 2 is 8 mm.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the container according to the invention is designed to be inserted in the brewing chamber 10 of a food or beverage preparation machine (the machine as a whole is not illustrated).

The brewing chamber 10 is of the type already known in the art and will not be described in great details hereafter. It generally comprises two parts, an injection part 11 and a dispensing part 12 that are movable relatively to one another, so as to open and close the brewing chamber. FIG. 2 depicts the brewing chamber 10 in its open state with the coffee container partially inserted therein in an insertion socket 13. The square-shaped outer portions 6 of the container 1 are guided in insertion socket's grooves during insertion. In another embodiment, the outer boundaries of the container could have another shape than square (e.g. circular).

The injection part comprises a series of injection spikes 14 which are able to pierce and partially protrude through the container chamber 2 when the container is inserted inside the brewing chamber 10 and the latter is closed around the container in order to prepare a beverage. The height of the spikes is less than the height H of the chamber so that the spikes can never contact the dispensing wall of the container. The injection part 11 comprises a water entry 15 that is linked to the fluidic system of the beverage machine (a water source, e.g. a water tank that is linked through pipes to a water pump and preferably a water heater) that is able to deliver water, preferably heated water at a certain pressure towards the brewing chamber for injection inside the coffee container through spikes 14.

The dispensing part 12 of the brewing chamber 10 comprises a series of opening elements 16 as described above, which contact the surface of the dispensing wall when the brewing chamber is closed.

When water is injected inside the container, fluid pressure increases therein, which presses the dispensing wall 4 against the opening elements 16, until the material of the dispensing wall opens to let the coffee prepared by mixing water and coffee out. Coffee then flows towards a cup (not shown) through a collecting chamber 17 and a dispensing outlet 18 of the dispensing part 12.

For one given type of food or beverage preparation machine, only one size of coffee container can be proposed to the consumer. However, according to the principle of the invention, a whole range of containers can be proposed, each of which has a different ingredient chamber width W, which allows to vary the amount of coffee contained therein, and therefore the volume of coffee that can be prepared therewith. Importantly, only the width of the ring-shaped chamber varies from one container type to another, so that different types of containers can be used with the same machine, without the need for a complex brewing chamber that would need to adapt to all different types of containers. In particular, the invention obviates the need for a complex adaptive system for increasing or decreasing the distance between the injection and dispensing parts of the brewing chamber, depending on the height of each different container of the proposed range.

All containers within the same range adapted to function with one type of machine, have a fixed height H.

For the preparation of a short cup such as a Ristretto or an Espresso, (i.e. in-cup volume of 10 ml to 25 ml with high quality crema), a small container is used, that contains a roast and ground coffee. In this case, the volume of the container ingredient chamber is comprised between 3.5 ml and 15 ml, preferably between 9 ml and 11 ml.

For the preparation of a medium size cup of coffee (80 ml to 130 ml), a medium size container is used. In this case, the volume of the container ingredient chamber is comprised between 15 ml and 17 ml.

For the preparation of a long cup such as an Americano, or a Lungo (i.e. in-cup beverage volume above 130 ml), one can use a large or an extra-large container size, containing a roast and ground coffee offering then a long cup without over-extracted notes. In this case, the volume of the pod ingredient chamber is comprised between 17 ml and 115 ml, preferably between 17 ml and 20 ml.

In all of the above examples, the coffee powder that is contained in the chamber 2 can be either loose or in a compacted state.

The container according to the invention was found to provide the best solution to offer the most qualitative and quantitative coffee cup from 10 ml, up to 500 ml, without adding complexity and cost to the beverage preparation machine.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims. 

1. A container containing coffee ingredient for use in a food or beverage preparation machine, comprising a chamber delimited by an injection wall able to be punctured or otherwise opened for circulating water under pressure, and by a coffee delivery wall, the chamber being filled with the coffee, at least a portion of the injection wall has the shape of a half torus, or a half toroidal polyhedron, so as to define a ring-shaped chamber.
 2. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the coffee ingredient contained in the ring-shaped chamber is a roast and ground coffee.
 3. Coffee container according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped chamber surrounds a central container portion filled with a second ingredient that differs from the coffee ingredient contained in the ring-shaped chamber.
 4. Coffee container according to claim 3, wherein the second ingredient is a powdered soluble coffee, or a roast and ground coffee having different roasting, grinding and/or powder compaction characteristics, than that of the coffee contained in the ring-shaped chamber.
 5. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the width of the ring-shaped chamber is between 5 to 15 mm.
 6. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing wall is planar and has a square or disc shape.
 7. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing wall is made of a liquid impermeable material that is pierceable by a piercing member of the food or beverage preparation machine.
 8. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the injection wall is made of a paper-based or compostable material.
 9. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the injection and dispensing walls are sealed or otherwise glued or welded one to another to form a closed chamber.
 10. Coffee container according to claim 1, wherein the coffee contained in the chamber is a compacted coffee powder. 